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who had been at the office of his at
torney, James T. Brady, had gone to
Randolph and Clark streets to meet
Bertsche. The tetter's was Spira's
able counselor and every day during
his trial they met and talked things
over. Spira had evidently just left
Bertsche when Egan and Monaghan
came up. The trouble started and
Spira ran back. He was shot be
cause he tried to help Bertsche.
"The police say Egan had no gun
and that the only weapons they can
account for are the two automatics
used by Bertsche, Monaghan's gun
and the gun they say Spira had. Then
there was one shot fired by Detective
Welling.
"So far only two guns the one
used by Monaghan and one of the
automatics used by Bertsche have
been found. If these are the only
guns used, the police then have failed
to account for about ten bullets
which dented the walls of the street
and were not found' in the bodies of
the combatants.
"The truth is the police are at
tempting to cover up evidence which
would expose the department's rot
tenness. There is no doubt in my
mind but it was an out-and-out at
tempt to kill Bertsche because of the
enmity between he and Egan."
The reason Barney Bertsche is now
under penitentiary sentence in the
clairvoyant trust cases, especially
that of Mrs. Hope McEldowney, is
that Bertsche was supposed to be the
fixer for the clairvoyants, and the
story reached the ears of State's At
torney Hoyne that the clairvqyants
believed Bertsche had the state's at
torney's office fixed.
The moment this story reached
Hoyne he got busy with the grand
jury and his dragnet and landed
Bertsche, Jimmy Ryan, known as
"Professor Charles T. Crane," and
others, including ' Jimmy Ryan's
brother, who was supposed to be the
main guy in the clairvoyant rust This
brother got away and hasn't been
found.
But both Barney Bertsche and Jim
my Ryan were caught, tried and con
victed. This broke up the clairvoyant
game in Chicago and also did away
with the impression that had been
given out that Barney Bertsche was
able to fix the state's attorney.
This was also the beginning of a
disagreement between the state's at
torney's office and the police depart
ment, especially the detective bureau,
and Hoyne has been after crooks in
the police department ever since.
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